


The Son of a Barbaric King

by fandoms destroy me (spn_is_my_life)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Dark, Drama, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt, Levi-centric (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, PRINCE!LEVI, Possibly OOC, Servant!Eren, Short One Shot, Violent Thoughts, Vomiting, towards a nameless oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:23:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5545055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spn_is_my_life/pseuds/fandoms%20destroy%20me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi was the son of a barbaric King. One who had his own sense of justice, based on chance. He thought, if you were truly innocent, the odds would be in your favor right? The gods would always provide freedom to one who had done no wrong! That's why, instead of a trial, the accused party would have to pick between two large doors in an arena. </p>
<p>One door contained someone beautiful and single for the accused to be married to on the spot. They would be acquitted of all crimes, even if they admitted guilt. The other door contained a hungry tiger, starved for days on end. The tiger would tear the accused apart, not heeding to reason or innocence. And at every trial, Levi sat on his throne alongside his King, looking on at the proceedings with cold eyes and a sophisticated demeanor. For in truth, the young prince was just as barbaric as the one he called "Father".</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Based on The Lady or the Tiger (a short story by Frank Stockton)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Son of a Barbaric King

**Author's Note:**

> I started thinking about this as soon as I read The Lady or the Tiger in English class. It's only now that I plucked up the courage to finally post it *nervous laughter*
> 
> Beware: It is pretty cheesy and melodramatic!!! But i meant it to be that way so... Enjoy!

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. One who had his own sense of justice, based on chance. For if you were truly innocent, the odds would be in your favor, right? The gods would always provide freedom to one who had done no wrong! That's why, instead of a trial, the accused party would have to pick between two large doors in an arena. One door contained someone beautiful and single for the accused to be married to on the spot. They would be acquitted of all crimes, even if they admitted guilt. 

The other door contained a hungry tiger, starved for days on end. The tiger would tear the accused apart, not heeding to reason or innocence. And at every trial, Levi sat on his throne alongside his King, looking on at the proceedings with cold eyes and a sophisticated demeanor. For in truth, the young prince was just as barbaric as the one he called "Father".

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. He was forced into parties after each trial, some celebrating the sanctity of marriage, others the thrill of death. No matter the occasion, he hated those parties. The wine and mounds of food did little to lighten his mood, and small talk made him more irritable and snappish than usual. His pent up frustration came out in his sexual exploits with the sons of great lords and dukes. 

He would kiss them harshly under flickering candles in deserted hallways. He would lead them on with twinkling eyes and swaying hips. A smirk on his lips, a false moan on his tongue. They were each left only with bruises and hangovers. No such thing as a "relationship" between two men, it simply wasn't done. Levi didn't particularly care for relationships anyway, so he just shrugged it off. That is until the day he met Eren.

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. He fell for the servant boy with bright eyes and a cheeky grin. His personality was Levi's natural opposite, for when Eren walked into a room, he'd infuse energy into the very air while Levi seemed to just make it dwindle and go away. Eren was new to the castle and slowly fell for the Levi that no one else saw. The one hiding underneath the emotionless facade. The Levi that fed bread to the birds in the garden everyday and helped a young servant girl carry wood in from the cold. The Levi that read every book in the castle library and watched the sunrise before morning patrols. The Levi that insisted to clean the kitchens for the servants after dinner most days. 

That's the man Eren saw, even if Levi couldn't see it himself. They kissed under the moonlit chandelier in the castle ballroom at night, whispering sweet nothings as they danced to nonexistent music. They wrote cheesy love notes and dared to dream, only in silence, of somewhere they could be together. Somewhere they could wake up everyday by each other's side, watching as the years passed by and they got older and older. Together. 

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. So naturally their relationship wouldn't last. Secrets hate to be locked up in shiny prisons, and they're quite spiteful creatures. A young servant girl peeked through a partly shut door only to find Levi and Eren kissing lazily, naked in cotton sheets. Horrified, she fled to the the king who, in turn, arrested Eren himself on charges of rape and witchcraft.

Levi fell before his father, no longer caring for his pride as he pleaded. He insisted it was not rape nor manipulation, but true love. The king, still on his looming throne, merely scoffed and reiterated "Don't you see the spell he's cast on you, stupid boy?" and "You, my son are not one of those disgusting freaks of nature." He refused to hear any truth other then his own. So Eren was sentenced to a "fair" trial.

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. He was sneaky and cunning, and Eren knew it. They both knew it. Which is why they both knew Levi could easily find out which door held the tiger and which the fair maiden. Caught in his grief and anger, Levi went to the King's advisor almost straight away and paid him hundreds upon thousands of gold coins to find out. Later, he would realize how much he wished he hadn't. He wished, more then anything, he didn't know. 

Behind one door, there was the young servant girl who caught them together in the first place. She was beautiful, kind, sweet, and frankly, everything Eren could learn to love. Levi would see them talking sometimes, laughing and he knew Eren could truly be happy with her, having children and growing old. To Eren, Levi would grow to be a "mistake", just a foolish part of his past from when he was too naive to know better. The thought made Levi's lips curl into a sneer and dark thoughts pervade his mind. 

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. He hated the thought of Eren marrying that servant girl. Just as much as he hated the thought of Eren dead. He fantasized of murdering the girl as she slept, her blood dripping through the sheets. But he knew that would not solve anything, not permanently anyway. His father would simply choose another girl and another and another and another until Levi could no longer kill them without suspicion (although there's no way he wouldn't be suspected from the start). Even when the girl wasn't in line to be marrying Eren, seeing them together put his teeth on edge in a way nothing else could. Maybe after they married he could kill her...?

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. No matter how much he hated the thought of Eren marrying someone else, he felt just as awful at the thought of him dead. He had nightmares every night. He watched Eren scream as he was torn apart and eaten, entrails lining the arena. But the worst were Eren's eyes. They always stared at him, burning into his soul with disappointment and anger. He watched the light in those eyes flicker and burn out, leaving them glazed and lifeless. They always left one question, the one that plagued his thoughts every second of every day. Would you rather these eyes be given to someone else or simply disappear?

He always woke up in a cold sweat, rushing to the bathroom as bile rose up in his throat. It hurt. A lot. But no matter what it just kept coming, pushing through his every barrier until it deposited itself in the porcelain bowl. Tears streamed down his face as it finally came to an end and he sat back against the wall. He honestly thought the vomit was the darkness inside him trying to get free. Maybe he was right.

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. Days turned into weeks turned into months, until Eren's trial finally came. Levi's heart beat in his throat as he slowly walked toward the best seats in the arena along with his father. Queasiness underlined his every action and it became hard to breath. His scattered thoughts were like puzzle pieces that, no matter what he tried, just wouldn't fit together. Jealousy and hatred and sadness and loss all mixed together in a broiling Levi stew.

The King's announcements were quick, precise as if he was tired of this foolish game and only wished for it to be over. The audience roared, momentarily dulling Levi's thoughts as Eren stepped into the arena. He looked like hell. Ratty, tattered clothes hung off his skinny, starved frame. His skin was sickly pale compared to the healthy glow Levi last remembered, but his eyes made Levi sit up straight. There was inexplicable determination and hope there. It lifted up his spirits for a second only to have them crash back down. That hope was for him.

 

Levi was the son of a barbaric King. He knew Eren was relying on him to do the right thing, to let him live. If he knew Levi was having doubts he would be disgusted! Horrified and sickened by the thoughts that plagued Levi every night. Levi closed his eyes and just breathed for a second as Eren drew nearer to the doors. If any criminal tried to get too close to the doors or cheat in any way, the tiger would be sent upon them without a second thought.

The audience was silent, as they always were before the accused chose. The bets were made beforehand and no amount of bickering or conversation in general could determine what would happen, so silence seemed like the best route. Eren stopped as close as was allowed and looked over at Levi. He stared at him levelly and silently asked for an answer, his face still perfectly blank. Levi stared at his own hand, the one that would decide the fate of his lover, confidant, and friend. Leaving his mind blank, Levi subtly pointed to the door on the left. 

 

So which did Levi choose? The door with the lady or the tiger? And which did Eren actually go through? Did he trust Levi's decision?  
Well what does it matter now anyway!? Without the mystery or the doubt, this story is about two stupid people in a time where justice doesn't exist. Just like every other fucking love story. So don't try and figure it out. It isn't worth it, especially since you'll never truly know. Just lie back and appreciate the mystery.

**Author's Note:**

> (No but if you seriously want to guess which door Levi chose, please be my guest!)  
> This is my first fanfic so criticism and comments in general would be absolutely fantastic! If you want to warm my cold, dark heart, leave a Kudo as well.
> 
> Thanks!


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